Library Monthly Report

Library Monthly Report September 2009

CIRCULATION

A total of 47 items were checked out of the library. Fiction was the dominant genre, totaling 35 items. The next largest category was the magazine category, totaling 10 items. Students also borrowed language dictionaries.

PATRON VISITS

The library annex seats 24 comfortably. Periods 5 and 6 remain very busy periods. Both lunch periods have an average of 20 students daily in the library, even without computer usage.

RENOVATION PLANS:

Classroom 321A has been designated for temporary library usage. A small collection of textbooks, magazines and popular fiction display titles have been made available for student use. It was announced in early September, that the library renovation project would approach completion by November 1, 2009. The librarians are scheduled to receive keys to reenter the library in order to unpack the collection that is held in storage.

Winnebago Spectrum automation system has not been put into operation. Importation of student records was initially successful but has been dismantled due to a “C Tree 96 error.”

CONCERNS:

Three student computers and a printer were placed in the temporary library annex. As of September 29, 2009, the computers and printer have not been set up.

There is only one wall separating the temporary library from the cafeteria. During periods 4, 5, 6 and 7, students and staff in the temporary library annex are able to hear the noise coming from the cafeteria.

Library Monthly Report June 2009

CIRCULATION

A total of 212 items were checked out of the library. Fiction was the dominant genre, totaling 89 items checked out. The next largest category was the 900’s totaling 16 items. In June, overdue notices were mailed home to students’ homes. Several graduating seniors returned library books in a direct response to a deadline to return items by May 29, 2009. A list of other students, who have not responded to previous overdue notices, was given to the teachers in the English Department. These students received a mark on their report cards informing parents that these students still have overdue books.

PATRON VISITS

Periods 5 and 6 remained very busy periods, up until the last day of regular classes. During Regents Week---June 16-24---the library became the meeting place for all teachers when reporting for test proctoring assignments. The teachers of the English department graded both parts of the English Regents in the library. June 24-26, the librarians, together with the English teachers, packed up the entire collection of library books into boxes. The boxes, along with all 7 student computers, were placed in the back storage room of the library.

RENOVATION PLANS:

It was announced in June 2009, that the library renovation project would begin during the summer of 2009. The finalized blueprint plans, displayed in a beautiful lay-out on the library bulletin board, drew much attention and admiration from the Hillcrest High School community.

Library Monthly Report May 2009

CIRCULATION

A total of 412 items were checked out of the library. Fiction was the dominant genre, totaling 289 items checked out. The next largest category was the 900’s, totaling 22 items.

PATRON VISITS

Periods 5 and 6 remain very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. During these busy lunch periods, the librarians occasionally arranged student seating in order to maintain an appropriate level of quiet in the library.

CLASS VISITS

During the first two weeks of May 2009, selected students were assigned to the library to sit for component retesting for the English and Math Regents exams. The library remained closed from periods 1-5 to accommodate the testing. During the month of May, the librarians collaborated with 2 Social Studies teachers 2 English teachers, and 1 science teacher to create lessons in the library. The library lessons integrated technology and taught library/research skills. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms. A reading teacher conducted testing on several days in the library during period 8.

CONCERNS:

There are not enough computers to accommodate the usage. When classes reserve the computers, lunch period students, who are giving up their free period to complete assignments, are asked to wait for computers. The volume of activity in the library is extremely high. Some teachers send up to 6 students down to library---sometimes without a pass---to complete work. This puts a strain on the usage of and waiting period for computers as students are forced to rush their completion of work. Some students are not even able to get a computer to use. The storage room in the back area of the library is in dire need of attention. The clutter and disorder and congested air problem of the room remains an issue.

Library Monthly Report April 2009

CIRCULATION

A total of 420 items were checked out of the library. Fiction was the dominant genre, totaling 293 items checked out. The next largest category was the 900’s, totaling 18 items.

PATRON VISITS

In April, the library hosted its annual Poetry Read Aloud event. Actively participating were 34 students who read choice poetry selections for a total of 11 English classes. Periods 5 and 6 remain very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. During these busy lunch periods, the librarians occasionally arranged student seating in order to maintain an appropriate level of quiet in the library. In April, the library had visitors (average of visitors per week).

CLASS VISITS

In April, the librarians collaborated with 4 Social Studies teachers 3 English teachers, 1 ESL teacher and 2 science teachers to create lessons in the library. Sample lessons included Diabetes, World War II, history of African American cowboys, and avoiding plagiarism. The library lessons integrated technology and taught library/research skills. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms. A reading teacher conducted testing on several days in the library during period 8.

CONCERNS:

RENOVATION PLANS:

In April, the librarians received the finalized blueprint plans for the new library renovation. These plans, displayed in a beautiful lay-out on the library bulletin board, drew much attention and admiration from the Hillcrest High School community.

Library Monthly Report March 2009

CIRCULATION

A total of 503items were checked out of the library. Fiction was the dominant genre, totaling 352 items checked out. The next largest category was the 900’s, totaling 20 items. On Thursday, March 12^th and Friday, March 13, 2009, Students were given library overdue notices in their 3^rd period attendance classes. This effort coincided with the ending of the 4^th marking period. A list of students, who have not responded to previous overdue notices, was given to the teachers in the English Department. These students received a mark on their report cards informing parents that these students still have overdue books.

PATRON VISITS

CLASS VISITS

In March, the librarians collaborated with 5 Social Studies teachers 2 English teachers, 1 ESL teacher and 3 science teachers to create lessons in the library. Sample lessons included Diabetes, World War II, history of African American cowboys, and avoiding plagiarism. The library lessons integrated technology and taught library/research skills. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms. A reading teacher conducted testing on several days in the library during period 8.

CONCERNS:

Library Monthly Report February 2009

CIRCULATION

With the beginning of the new Spring 2009 semester (February 3, 2009), students were given, overdue notices in their 3^rd period attendance class. The librarians completed the task of using all NYSTL money reserved for the library for fiscal year 2008-2009. A total of 422 items were checked out of the library. Fiction was the dominant genre, totaling 309 items checked out. The next largest category was the 900’s, totaling 20 items.

PATRON VISITS

Periods 5 and 6 are very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. February, the library had 4897 visitors (average 1224.25 visitors per week). The patron visit statistics were affected by the close of school during Winter Recess Week, February 16-20, 2009

CLASS VISITS

In February, the librarians collaborated with 4 Social Studies teachers and 5 English teachers to create lessons in the library. Class lessons integrate technology, teach library and research skills and increase circulation. Sample lessons included citing sources, Black History Authors, The Holocaust, Countries of the World, and Career Zone. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms. Pre-Teaching SLC Director, Mr. Binet’s classes performed poetry selections in the library for Poem in Your Pocket Day on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. A reading teacher conducted testing on several days in the library during period 8.

TECHOLOGY

The library printer was again replaced by another printer. The printer model is Lexmark E323. The library TV is available for classroom lessons. Teachers sign in the library for TV usage. The combination TV/VCR/DVD player gets used an average of 3 days a week.

CONCERNS:

There are not enough computers to accommodate the heavy demand. When classes reserve the computers, lunch period students, who are giving up their free period to complete assignments, are asked to wait for computers. Some teachers send up to 6 students down to library---sometimes without a pass---to complete work. This puts a strain on the usage of and waiting period for computers as students are forced to rush the completion of their work. Unable to finish, some students come back during the school day to complete work in the library. Students feel stress when the bell rings and their work is not completed or printed out. The heavy volume of activity leaves little room for the accurate completion of collection development and inventory duties. The storage room in the back area of the library is in dire need of attention. The clutter and disorder and the dust and mold of the room remain issues that need to be addressed.

January Monthly Report January 2009

CIRCULATION

The library circulated 394 items January 2009. Fiction was the largest category, with a count of 296 checked out. Popular choices included vampire fiction by Stephanie Meyer, graphic novels, horror titles by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine, urban realistic fiction in the Bluford Series. Popular choices for magazines included US Weekly, Shonen Jump, and international Bollywood magazine, Filmfare.

PATRON VISITS

Periods 5 and 6 are very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. During these busy lunch periods, the librarians occasionally arranged student seating in order to maintain an appropriate level of quiet in the library. In January, the library had 6150 visitors (average of 1537.50 visitors per week).

CLASS VISITS

On Thursday, January 8, 2009, Mr. Duch held a conference in the library for the Small Learning Communities of Hillcrest. In January, the librarians collaborated with 3 Social Studies teachers and 3 English teachers to create lessons in the library. Classes that came down to the library received instruction on Industrialization, The Civil War, and properly citing sources. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms due to heating issues in their classrooms. Invited classes watched the Inauguration of President Obama on January 20, 2009. The audience included over 130 visitors. An Instructional Support reading teacher conducted testing on several days in the library during period 8.

TECHOLOGY

The library TV is available for classroom lessons. Teachers sign in the library for TV usage. The library printer was replaced by another printer on loan from Assistant Principal, David Morrison.

CONCERNS:

There are not enough computers to accommodate the heavy demand. When classes reserve the computers, lunch period students, who are giving up their free period to complete assignments, are asked to wait for computers. Some teachers send up to 6 students down to library---sometimes without a pass---to complete work. This puts a strain on the usage of and waiting period for computers as students are forced to rush the completion of their work. Unable to finish, some students come back during the school day to complete work in the library. Students feel stress when the bell rings and their work is not completed or printed out. The heavy volume of activity leaves little room for the accurate completion of collection development and The storage room in the back area of the library is in dire need of attention. The clutter and disorder and the dust and mold of the room remain issues that need to be addressed.

Library Monthly Report December 2008

CIRCULATION

The library circulated over 427 items December 2008. Fiction was the largest category with 288 items. Popular choices remain the vampire fiction written by Stephenie Meyer, graphic novels, horror titles by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine, and urban realistic fiction in the Bluford Series. Magazines continued to circulate. Students chose US Weekly, Shonen Jump, Popular Photography and international magazine, Filmfare. The art department took old back copies of NY Times newspapers.

PATRON VISITS

Periods 5 and 6 are very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 and the count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. Periods 4 and 7 are also becoming very busy. For December, the library had a total of 7,767 visitors (average of 1941.75 visitors a week). Two assistant principals used library classrooms for meetings in December.

CLASS VISITS

In December, the librarians collaborated with 5 Social Studies teachers, 3 English teachers, 1 Instructional Support teacher and 1 Science teacher to create lessons in the library. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms. A reading teacher conducted testing on several days in the library during period 8. Sample class lessons included Supreme Court cases, properly citing sources, infectious diseases and orientation classes to the library. These lessons integrate technology and teach library/research skills and increase the library’s circulation.

TECHNOLOGY

Copier machine usage was very heavy. Staff members, including teachers and para-professionals are still using the student copier machine in spite of the existence of a copier machine provided for them by UFT representative and English teacher, Marilyn Beckford. The library TV is available for classroom lessons. Teachers sign in the library for TV usage. The combination TV/VCR/DVD player gets used an average of 3 days a week. Both projectors that are used with the smart board technology have bulbs that blew out. It is $450 each to replace them.

CONCERNS:

There are not enough computers to accommodate the demand for usage. When classes reserve the computers, lunch period students, who are giving up their free period to complete assignments, are asked to wait for computers. This puts negative stress on student achievement. Also, the volume of activity in the library is extremely high. Some teachers send up to 6 students down to library---sometimes without a pass---to complete work. This puts a strain on the usage of and waiting period for computers as students are forced to rush their completion of work. Some students don’t even get to use the computers, when they have work to do. Some come back during the school day or after school to complete work in the library. Students feel stress when the bell rings and their work is not completed or printed out. The heavy volume of activity leaves little room for the accurate completion of library inventory duties. This can impact the library’s goals in collection development.

RENOVATION PLANS:

On December 4, 2008, architects from the firm, Di Domenico Partners LLC, met with the librarians and the principal to discuss two possible renovation plans. A combination of both sketches was voted in as a good plan with which to go forward.

Library Monthly Report November 2008

CIRCULATION

The library circulated 475 items November 2008. Fiction was the largest category with 318 items. Popular choices included vampire fiction by Stephanie Meyer, graphic novels, horror titles by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine, urban realistic fiction in the Bluford Series. Magazines were circulated. Students chose US Weekly, Shonen Jump, Popular Photography and international magazine, Filmfare. Overdue Notices were mailed out to students by December 1^,2008.

PATRON VISITS

The seating capacity of the library is 150. Periods 5 and 6 are very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. For the month of November, the library had a total of 8,624 visitors. That is an average of 2,156 visitors.

CLASS VISITS

In November, the librarians collaborated with 12 Social Studies teachers and 4 English teachers to create lessons in the library. Some teachers visited repeatedly in order to collaborate on different lessons. These lessons, which included Election Results, infectious diseases, hypertension, asthma, ancient Greece, plagiarism and how to write a research paper, significantly increased circulation. Two science teachers and a phys. ed -health teacher also brought down their classes for collaborative lessons in the library. Social Studies tutoring took place in the library during November. Two Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms and computers.

TECHNOLOGY:

The library TV is available for classroom lessons. Teachers sign in the library for TV usage. The combination TV/VCR/DVD player used an average of 3 days a week.

CONCERNS:

The library does not have enough computers to accommodate the heavy demand. When classes reserve the computers, students who are giving up their free period to complete assignments, are asked to wait for computers. This puts negative stress on student achievement. Also, the volume of activity in the library is extremely high. Some teachers send up to 6 students down to library---sometimes without a pass---to complete work. This puts a strain on the usage of and waiting period for computers as students are forced to rush their completion of work in order to accommodate other students. Some students don’t even get to use the computers, when they have work to do. Some come back to complete work after school in the library. Students feel stress when the bell rings and they have not completed or printed their work. During period 5, the library seats as many as 140 students. During period 6, we have over 90 students. Computer use, photo copier machine use, textbooks, chess boards, reference items and other print sources receive a lot of “wear and tear” during the lunch periods.

Library Monthly Report October 2008

CIRCULATION

The library circulated 599 items in October 2008. Fiction was the largest category with 403 items. Some popular choices included vampire fiction by Stephenie Meyer, graphic novels, Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine horror, Bluford Series fiction, and biographies of presidents, women’s rights, American civics and elections.

PATRON VISITS

Periods 5 and 6 are very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. For the month of October we had a total of 5,944 visitors to the library. That is an average of 1,486 visitors per week.

CLASS VISITS

In October, the librarians collaborated with 6 Social Studies teachers, 2 Health Careers teachers and 7 English teachers to create lessons in the library. Class visits significantly increase the library circulation. Such lessons included French Revolution, The Enlightenment and library orientation. Trails library assessment exams were also administered to visiting classes.

CONCERNS:

The library does not have enough computers to accommodate the heavy demand. When classes reserve the computers, lunch period students are asked to wait for computers. Also, the volume of activity in the library during the lunch periods is very high. During period 5, the library seats as many as 140 students. During period 6, we have over 90 students. Computer use, photo copier machine use, textbooks, chess boards, reference items and other print sources receive a lot of “wear and tear” during the lunch periods.

Library Monthly Report September 2008

CIRCULATION

The library circulated 605 items in September 2008. Fiction was the largest category with 441 items. Some popular choices that were circulated included vampire fiction by Stephenie Meyer, world religions, graphic novels, horror titles by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine, urban realistic fiction in the Bluford Series, and mandatory reading for Health Careers (Gifted Hands, Mountains Beyond Mountains and Tuesdays With Morrie).

PATRON VISITS

The seating capacity of the library is 150. Periods 5 and 6 are very busy periods. The normal count for period 5 is 125-140 students. The count for period 6 is 80-100 patrons. For the month of September, we had a total of 7825 visitors to the library. That is an average of 1956.25 people per week.

CLASS VISITS

In September, the librarians collaborated with 5 Social Studies teachers to create lessons in the library and collaborated with 7 English classes for library orientations. These lessons integrate technology and teach library/research skills. Five Social Studies teachers requested use of library classrooms. Class visits significantly increase the library circulation. Such lessons include dental health and orientation to the library. The librarians administered library assessment exams called Trails to visiting English 9^th grade classes.

TECHNOLOGY

Importing of students’ information for school year 2008-2009 into Winnebago Spectrum System was successful. The librarians were able to use the DLIB file from the Program Office to accomplish this. The librarians also removed from the Winnebago Spectrum system, “no longer in school” students and upgraded expiration dates for all students and teachers. The library TV is available for classroom lessons. Teachers sign in the library for TV usage. The combination TV/VCR/DVD player gets used an average of 3 days a week.

CONCERNS:

The library does not have enough computers to accommodate the Hillcrest school community. When classes reserve the computers, lunch period students are asked to wait for computers. Also, the volume of activity in the library during the lunch periods is very high. During period 5, the library seats as many as 140 students. During period 6, we have over 90 students. Computer use, photo copier machine use, textbooks, chess boards, reference items and other print sources receive a lot of “wear and tear” during the lunch periods.